When Hell Breaks Loose - Chapter 1
by Prince Jiita
Summary: The dragon balls have been used one too many times and now the barriers between the worlds are unstable. The Z-Fighters have to battle those that return from Hell and might make unexpected friends along the way . AU, Humor, M/M, Language
1. Prologue

**Chapter 1 - Prologue**

„I wish that you bring back all those people who died last week during our... uhem... training accident..." Son Goku scratched the back of his head as he looked up at the dragon in the dark sky. Vegeta was leaning his back against a rocky cliff nearby and watched with a bored expression on his face.

Goku had expected to hear something like "It is done." or "As you wish", but it didn't come. Instead the dragon suddenly looked like he had swallowed a toad, his body starting to twitch and twist, his eyes bulging.

"Goku, what is going on?" Kuririn asked, in a trembling tone of voice. The Z-Fighters were all staring at the dragon as he suddenly erupted in a bright flash of light. The dragon balls were blown apart, scattering all over the planet again.

A loud curse made everybody jump and turn their was sitting on the ground holding his head. In front of him lay a shining orange ball with four stars.

"Nani?" Goku picked up the ball and looked at it with big eyes.

"Hey, Kakarot, am I wrong or shouldn't that thing be a normal rock for the next year?" Vegeta looked over Goku's shoulder and frowned.

"You are right, Vegeta. And I don't think it was supposed to try and knock out Yamcha."

Yamcha was still sitting on the ground holding his head. Ten Shin Han knelt next to him, trying to see if any real damage had been done.

Suddenly it felt like the earth was shaking. The boulders around them crumbled and dust filled the air.

"What is going on now?" Gohan nearly cracked his neck as he spun around trying to see what was happening. All around them the Z-Fighters could sense movements in the dust. A shadow burst out and launched itself at Kuririn. The small man struggled to fight off the attacker. Lazily Vegeta lifted his hand, held out his palm and blasted the green thing off the former monk, leaving a smoldering crater next to Kuririn.

"Wha...what was that now?" Kuririn looked utterly shocked at Vegeta.

"THAT was a Saibaman, have you forgotten about them?"

"No." said Yamcha darkly.

"Oh, you are right. The Saiyajin used them when they came to earth, right."

"Right. But the problem is, there are none left alive by now." They all stared at Vegeta. Then the dust errupted as more and more Saibamen attacked the surprised Z-Fighters.

1


	2. Comprehension Dawning

**Chapter 2 – Comprehension Dawning**

"That was a pretty tough fight. I didn't remember those Saibamen to be so strong!" Ten Shin Han panted as he knelt on the ground. All around the Z-Fighters lay the beaten or exploded bodies of the Saibamen army that had just attacked them.

"They have never been that strong. And, as you might recall, I already mentioned that there shouldn't be any Saibamen around at all, not to mention about 50 of them!" Vegeta kicked the body of a Saibaman furiously.

"But Vegeta, they are here, aren't they?" Goku blinked at him, not sure what to think about the fact stated by the other Saiyajin.

"I can see that myself, baka!"

"Don't you two even start. We should go to the Lookout to sort out this shit." Piccolo looked at the two arguing Saiyajin with a stern look on his face. Both could be so childish at times.

"I agree. We need to figure this out, dad. Maybe Dende knows something." Gohan nodded to his sensei's words.

"You are right. Okay, everybody get a grip on me, I'll IT us."

"Hmpf. I'm perfectly able to get to the Lookout on my own."

"'Course you are, Vegeta, but my way is faster. And I don't think we should waste time." When Vegeta turned to just fly away Goku reached out with a sigh and burried his hand in the midnight flame of hair. Putting two fingers to his forehead he and the Z-Fighters vanished.

"HOW DARE YOU!" bellowed an enraged Prince of All Saiyajin once they arrived at Dende's place. He shook with anger as he stared at Goku.

"Just shut up, Goku didn't do anything wrong!" Yamcha winced as he tried to stand up straight.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS, PATHETIC WORM!"

Gohan rolled his eyes. In this mood Vegeta would be no help to them. And they would need the man's intelligence to figure out this mess. A smirk came to his face as he grabbed the bucket of water standing next to one of the trees and emptied it over Vegeta's head. He had almost expected to see steam.

Vegeta stood there, dumb struck for a moment. His cheeks flushed red as he realized what just had happened. Then his body started to tremble and shake. Humiliated. Humiliated by that annoying brat, right after Kakarot had humiliated him by grabbing him like that.

"Vegeta, calm down. He did mean no harm." Suddenly Goku was right in front of him, grabbing his shoulders. They were not at the Lookout anymore, but somewhere in the air, a vast sea of ice below them. Vegeta blinked.

"Please, Vegeta. I know he did wrong. He didn't mean to humiliate you." Goku had felt it the moment the water had hit Vegeta. Why had Gohan done this? How foolish. He knew that he had to get the prince out of this situation, so he had grabbed him and had ITed them both away. If Vegeta had to let it out on somebody, then it was better he did it with him, not his son or their friends.

But Vegeta didn't attack. He did nothing at all, just hovered in mid-air, staring at Goku. A moment ago he had felt humiliation burning away his body, but now he could only feel a strange sensation of being cold and warm at the same time.

"Why? Why did you bring us here? Why did you bring me away to hide how much your son humiliated me?"

Goku looked at Vegeta in surprise. "You don't know that? Vegeta, I know your pride by now. And I hate to see it getting hurt. Gohan didn't think about that. He wanted to cool you down, maybe make you laugh about it with the others. He forgot who you are, my prince."

Vegeta's eyes opened wide. He tried to recall the last time Goku had seriously called him 'my prince'. It must have been ages ago. Usually he only mocked him with his title.

"Kakarot...you..." He swallowed hard. "Domo."

"Nevermind." Goku smiled brightly. This was going better than he thought. He had hoped that he could mollify the raging man a little, but the success even surprised him. "Just tell me when you feel ready to return. I will have a serious word with my son later, if Piccolo hasn't taken care of that already."

Vegeta looked away into the distance. He gathered his strength to control his emotions again, restoring his mask of complete arrogance. Then he nodded to Goku. Goku slightly touched his shoulder and both vanished, leaving behind some confused penguins.

"You are a complete ass, Son Gohan!" were the first words they heard when they returned to the Lookout. Piccolo was scolding Gohan, who stood in front of him like a little boy, his head hanging and his shoulders slouched. He was still clutching the bucket in his hands.

Vegeta looked at the picture before him. His own shoulders began to twitch. Goku tensed as he saw the slight movements, and so did Kuririn and Ten Shin Han. They all thought Vegeta's rage had not died down yet.

Suddenly a loud laughter was torn from Vegeta's throat. He laughed for almost a full minute, holding his sides as his muscles started to ache.

"Is everything okay?" The young guardian of Earth looked highly confused at the wet and laughing Vegeta, the miserable Gohan and the astonished other Z-Fighters. Vegeta's laughter finally died down and Goku got a grip on himself.

"Dende, please take a look at Yamcha, he might be hurt."

While Dende tended to Yamcha's injuries, he asked them what had happened.

"You see, Vegeta is sure there are no Saibamen left, but they were all around us." Goku finished the explanation.

"Hm...that sounds really strange. I have no idea what to think of this." Dende said.

"Oh..." Goku's face fell. He had hoped that Dende would be able to tell them something.

*Son Goku? Son Goku, can you hear me?*

"Kaio-sama? Of course I can hear you!" Goku's face lit up at once.

*Son Goku, this is serious. I was just contacted by Enma Daioh. Something seems to be wrong, very wrong."

"Yes, I think we already noticed. We were attacked by Saibamen!"

*Listen to me, Son Goku. Enma Daioh says that the barriers between the world have somehow destabilized, allowing some entities to escape from the afterlife.*

"Huh? But that is impossible...it...could that have been when we used the dragon balls?"

*Possibly. Son Goku, you have to do something. Those who are now free to walk the Earth again need to be send back. They are too dangerous!*

"Yes, Kaio-sama, I understand."

Goku turned to look at his friends, his expression very serious. "Please, gather all our friends here, Trunks, Goten, everybody."

"What is wrong, Goku? Did Kaio-sama tell you?" Kuririn looked at him with wide eyes.

"It seems like the gates of Hell have been opened."

2


	3. Back from the Future

**Chapter 3 – Back from the Future**

"Okay, let me see if I get this. The Dragon Balls have somehow malfunctioned and now the barrier between Other World and Earth looks like Swiss cheese and all the crap we sent there over the years is coming back?" Kuririn summed up the situation.

"Yes, that is about right." Goku nodded. Yamcha groaned. They had all gathered in a spacious room inside the Lookout, discussing what they would do now.

"Then what can we do? I mean, except the obvious, send them back to hell?" Ten Shin Han stretched his arms in front of his chest.

"What a stupid question. Just sending them back right now would be a waste of time, since they might just continue coming back here anyway. We have to figure out how to stabilize the barrier again first." Vegeta lectured the other fighter in a bored annoyed voice. He was leaning up against a wall, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Well, then perhaps you, Prince Know-It-All, can enlighten us how to do that?" Ten's voice sounded angry. He just didn't like the Saiyajin.

"Obviously..."

"Obviously the Dragon Balls have something to do with it. So the first step should be gathering them again so we can take a closer look to see if there is something wrong with them." The voice came from the far end of the room. All heads turned around. Two young men were standing in the doorway. One was lean, had shoulder-length black hair and a smug smile on his face. Next to him, leaning back to back with the other, was a broader young man with long lavender hair. He was the one who had just spoken.

"TRUNKS! But...how?" Kuririn stared at his brother-in-law and the time-traveller.

"Well, as strange as it sounds, Kuririn, Jun here found me appearing just outside Capsule Corp. I have no idea how or why I came here. But on our way to the Lookout he told me everything that has happened and we figured out that the Dragon Balls must have something to do with it all." Mirai Trunks smiled at the small bald man.

"Juhachigou sends you her greetings, by the way. She will join us here once she has picked up Marron." Jun, formerly known as Android 17, told Kuririn.

"So, you think you can find out something if you had the Dragon Balls?" Goku frowned at the two. He was glad to see that the young men were going to help them, but he wasn't sure that gathering the Dragon Balls again would be a good idea.

"Hand it over to them, Kakarot. They know what they are doing." Vegeta looked at the taller Saiyajin. His face was as cold and unreadable as ever, but his eyes and tail communicated reasurance to Goku. Goku picked up the Four Star Dragon Ball and gave it to Trunks.

"Hmmm...we might need a laboratory, to run some tests and..."

"Did you call out for my help?"

Mirai Trunks turned around and smiled broadly. "Mother! Great to see you!"

"Hihi. I thought we might need some equipment, so I packed a laboratory kit before I came. Dende, do you have a room for us to set everything up?" Bulma held up a small case.

"Sure, Bulma, just follow me."

Dende, Bulma, Mirai Trunks and Jun left the room, taking the Dragon Ball with them. In the doorway they almost ran straight into Son Goten and Trunks, who came bouncing into the room. They were still dressed in their school uniforms.

"Is it true?"

"Did Gohan not pull our legs?"

"Is there a new fight?"

"Does that mean we can skip classes for today?"

They rushed over to their fathers and shouted at them. Goku laughed and even Vegeta had to smile as he picked up Trunks into his arms.

"Well, boys, it looks like we have a new mission to go on. But we have to wait until the others can tell us more." Goku told the two excited youngsters.

Piccolo and Gohan entered, looking both harried and relieved at the same time. They had picked up the two Demi-Saiyajin at their boarding school and had had to answer millions of questions on the way back. Gohan slumped down on a chair while Piccolo leaned up against the wall across from Vegeta.

"So, now we have to play the waiting game." Yamcha sighed.

"Nah, that is boring. Let's better play something else!" Goku smiled at his friends. Vegeta covered his face with his hand and sighed, as if he was in pain.

"We are back. And we have news. You wouldn't believe what we can find out when all three of us geniuses work together!" Bulma looked positively ecstatic.

"Just tell us, woman." Vegeta was already edgy, annoyed by all the stupidity surrounding him for the last four hours.

"Well, I guess I'll explain it. The Swiss cheese idea is not fully true. There are only seven holes in the barrier. Dende went to check that with Enma Daioh. And one has already closed up again. And not all of hell has escaped. Only a few individuals are missing." Jun started to explain.

"About how many are we talking then?" Ten Shin Han asked with a frown.

"About 35."

"35!" Chiaotzu looked like he was about to faint.

"Yes, 35, not counting the Saibamen you guys already send back."

"That doesn't sound so bad." Goku smiled.

"Well, they all have to be rather strong to have made it through, because it is not that easy to leave hell, even with the holes in the barrier." Mirai Trunks added. Goku's smile dropped off his face as he started to imagine what kind of individuals the 35 might be. He shot a quick look at Vegeta. The Saiyajin no Ouji's tail was rigid and the hair stood up. Vegeta was obviously thinking the same as Goku and seemed tense.

"Okay, so, what are we supposed to do?" Kuririn asked, trying to sound relaxed, pushing the thought of the walking dead from his head.

"We have to gather the Dragon Balls. The hole that has already closed must be the one made by the Four Star, right? And since we already have that, it must mean the holes close up once we have the Dragon Balls." Vegeta mused. Jun nodded.

"Yes, that is the theory. The trouble is...I think that the other party knows that as well already."

"Great, so everybody will hunt down the Dragon Balls again? But we have the radar, that will help a lot, right?" Kuririn tried, this time without much success, to keep the panic out of his voice.

"Actually, no, we don't have the radar. Well, we have it, but the Dragon Balls have changed the signal they are emitting, so the radar doesn't work anymore." Bulma bit her lower lip and looked away.

"You will have to fix it then, woman. And maybe you should build a few more."

"Why do you want more than one, Vegeta?" Goku looked at him with a confused expression on his face.

"Because we better split up to find them quicker. Woman, go and get those radars ready. Once she is done, we will start." To his own surprise nobody raised any objections.

Piccolo just nodded to the Saiyajin no Ouji. He hand to admit it, Vegeta was good when it came to planning a strategy like this.

"Alright, I got the radars you wanted. I managed to make six, I didn't have enough material for more." Bulma looked tired as she put the devices on the table in front of her son's father. Vegeta nodded to her.

"Thank you, woman. That was quick."

Mirai Trunks looked up from the map of the world he had been studying and frowned slightly as he watched his father. The man had changed. He seemed to have become a bit more sensitive to the feelings of other people. He had greeted Chibi Trunks rather affectionately and now he had thanked Bulma. He also looked a lot better than he had back when Mirai Trunks had last seen him.

"Come over here, all of you." Vegeta demanded. The other Z-Fighters just looked up at him. They didn't like to be ordered around like that, especially not by the arrogant Saiyajin. Goku smiled, stood right next to Vegeta and said in a happy voice: "Come on, everybody, gather 'round!" His friends complied. Vegeta frowned. It made him feel sore when Kakarot had to back up his orders, in a situation so serious as now.

"Okay, we will split up into six teams." Vegeta began.

"I'll go with Goten!" piped up Trunks.

"Gohan stays with me." said Piccolo firmly.

"I'd like to go with Ten Shin Han, we have something to discuss on the way." Yamcha shot a glance at Ten.

Vegeta sighed. "Alright, alright, do as you like. Chiaotzu can then go with Kuririn. And my son will come with me."

Mirai Trunks winced slightly as Vegeta said this. "Uhem, father, if it is all the same to you, I would rather go with Jun. We, uhem...have to figure something out..." He blushed slightly, feeling sure that his father would either object or demand a further explanation. Vegeta looked at him for a moment, then he nodded.

"Fine, then that makes me stuck with...oh great...Kakarot, you'll come with me."

Goku grabbed a radar and smiled brightly. "Like in the old days, huh, 'Geta?"

"Hmpf. Just don't get in my way."

3


	4. Family Reunion

**Chapter 4 – Family Reunion**

"Goten, hurry up, I don't plan to wait for you all day!" Trunks stopped in mid-air, looking at the small figure following him in the distance.

"But Trunks, they were giving away free cookies! Look, I brought you some!" Son Goten held out three large chocolate chip cookies to his best friend. Trunks chuckled and took one. "You really are still a kid, Goten."

Goten pouted. "I am a kid, and you act so grown up, still, you took a cookie!"

Trunks looked down at the radar in his other hand. "I think we are getting closer now. These are the Spinach Wastes."

"Oh, my brother told me about this place. This is where the first Saiyajin landed, the one that took Gohan away!" Goten sounded very excited. It was a rare occasion that he knew about something Trunks didn't.

"Yeah, so Jun was right after all when he said that all places must have a certain connection to your dad." Trunks eyes were scanning the area, searching for any sign of the small orange ball they were searching for.

"Trunks! TRUNKS! LOOK OVER THERE!" Goten suddenly shouted out, pointing wildly to an orange speck in the middle of a bright green meadow.

"Goten, if this is only some stupid flower, I'll make you eat it!"

Together they shot down, landing with a soft thud in the grass. Goten ran to the spot and knelt down. Right in front of him was the gleaming 3-Star Dragon Ball. Trunks stood next to him and smiled.

"Well done, Goten. I bet we are the first ones to return with a Dragon Ball. To think that is was lying around here, waiting for us. And nobody is around, too."

Suddenly a shadow from behind them fell on the Dragon Ball. "Are you two runts quite sure of that?"

Goten and Trunks whirled around, trying to see who had spoken to them. At first they could only see something gleaming in the sunlight, almost blinding them. Then Trunks narrowed his eyes. "Frie...Frieza?"

The man rolled his eyes. "Why does everybody always mistake me for my brother? No, I am not Frieza. I am Cooler."

Goten looked at Trunks, confusion making him look even more like his father. "Did he just say that he is cooler than Frieza?"

"Baka, I think that is his name."

"What kind of a name would that be? No, I'm sure he thinks he is cooler than Frieza."

"But Frieza wasn't cool in the first place!"

Cooler looked taken aback at the question for a moment, then he tapped his foot impatiently. "Once you two are done, would you be so kind to hand over the dragon ball, like two good kids?"

"The Dragon Ball? To you? Listen, Cooler, Heater, whatever. We won't give you this ball, and we are no good kids." Trunks put his fists to his side and tried to look impressive.

"But, Trunks, I am a good kid, says my daddy." Goten held the Dragon Ball in his hands and looked from his best friend to the shining creature towering them.

"Alright, if you don't want to hand it over, I'll just take it from you." Cooler reached out and grabbed Goten by the shirt, lifting him off the ground. Goten clutched the ball to his chest, protecting it with his arms. "You won't get that!"

"He is right, you won't!" Trunks was up in the air, his foot hitting the side of Cooler's head hard. Cooler losened his grip on Goten and the small Demi-Saiyajin broke free.

For a while both children tried to attack the strange creature, blocking his punches and kicks in return. Goten landed on one side of Cooler, and Trunks on the other, both Super Saiyajin already and both panting hard. Cooler hadn't even begun to sweat.

"This won't work, Goten. We have to try something else. Remember what my father taught us?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, let's do it!" Trunks spread his arms to the side of his body, gathering up his energy.

"Big Tree Cannon!"

"KAMEKAME-HAAA!"

The beams from both Super Saiyajin met up in the middle, where seconds before Cooler had been standing with an arrogant smile. When the kids finished the attack, both fell to the ground, sitting there, looking at the crater and the two smoking feet that were all that was left of Cooler.

"Wow, Dad was right. When the energies meet, it is bad to be caught in the middle."

"Yea, and that Cooler-than-Frieza is gone now." Goten took the Dragon Ball from his pocket and smiled. "And nobody will take this from us, because we are super-powerfull!"

"Are you sure about that?"

The boys jumped to their feet, looking around in disbelief. They were surrounded. Surrounded by Coolers. Lots of them. One had been bad, but all those?

"What are we going to do, Trunks?"

"I have no idea, Goten. I'm too tired to fight anymore, not to mention so many of them."

"Oh, what you do now is rather easy, little brat. You die."

The Coolers started to draw closer, making the circle around the two demis tighten more and more. One of them reached out a horrible gleaming hand. Goten closed his eyes and pressed them shut tightly, awaiting the inevitable.

"Don't you dare to touch my grandson!"

"Right, you would very much regret it."

The Coolers looked around and so did the two boys. A few feet away, up a small hill stood three figures. One was very tall, broad, with a long black mane down to his knees. The other two looked almost exactly like Goku, only one of them was a bit broader in build and had darker skin, the other had a scar in his face and wore a red bandana around his head.

"Who are they?" Trunks whispered to Goten.

"I have no idea who they are. But they look like my dad."

"Who the hell are you, you idiots?" asked Cooler.

"We are the boy's family. And your doom. Trunks, we will finish them off, you fly as fast as you can and get Kakarot here. Goten, hold onto that Dragon Ball, no matter what happens." The Saiyajin with the bandana took up his fighting pose, so did the two others. The Coolers smiled coldly and advanced. Trunks shot into the air.

Goten, still clutching the Dragon Ball, crawled behind a rock and took shelter there. He heard bangs and blasts, occasionally a body came flying past him as the Saiyajin fought the enemies with all their might. After a while he peeked his head over the rock to watch. What he saw didn't look too good.

All three Saiyajin were standing together, back to back, bleeding and exhausted, surrounded by sheer countless enemies.

"We have no other choice. These are desperate times, they call for desperate measures." The man with the bandana looked grimly at his foes. The other two nodded. Goten's eyes widened. There was a mighty roar ringing out across the land and then there was silence.

All three had ascended to Super Saiyajin at once. Three huge energy domes had formed around them, blasting the enemies into pieces. Not one was left standing. The three Super Saiyajin smiled at each other.

The long haired one walked over to Goten and picked him up into his arms. "He looks just like Kakarot when he was that age." The one with the bandana smiled and nodded.

The third man smiled as well and rested one of his hands on his own hip. "Yeah, he looks pretty much like him." He bend forward and flicked one of Goten's strands of hair with his finger. The boy giggled, the Dragon Ball still in his hands.

"What's going on here?" Son Goku had just appeared out of nowhere, right behind the group. He was in his Super Saiyajin form, looking ready for battle. When he saw the others he frowned.

"Put my son down, Raditz. Right now." His voice was low and threatening. Goten's eyes widened and he grabbed a strand of Raditz' golden hair, confused and a bit scared. Why was daddy angry with the stranger who had saved him?

"Calm down, Kakarot, I'm not going to hurt my nephew. Even I can learn from past mistakes." Raditz' voice was calm, but his muscles tensed.

"He's right, Kakarot. We didn't come to hurt anybody. What did the brat tell you was going on?" asked the darker Saiyajin, who looked so remarkably like Goku.

"Trunks came and told me the boys were under attack and that I should hurry to come here. Did you three attack them?" Goku's body was now glowing, showing his tremendous power.

"You gotta be shittin' me. That's supposed to be Kakarot?" The man with the bandana turned around and looked at him, his eyes stern, searching for something. "You are an idiot if you think we first attack the kids and then cuddle 'em up. You got shit for brains?"

Goku took a step back. He knew that man. He had never seen him in person, but in visions. The man had not been Super Saiyajin back then, but it was him, Goku was sure.

"Daddy, they didn't hurt me, they saved Trunks and me! They killed all the refridgerators!"

"They killed what?" Goku looked stunned.

"He means Cooler. There were many of him." Raditz smiled at his younger brother. Goku shook his head and laughed.

"Alright, so far so good. Now explain why you guys are here."

"To support the family." The man with the bandana smiled at Goku. "I think by now you realized who I am, son?"

"You are Bardock, the one that tried to stop Frieza. You are...my father." Goku had to swallow hard. He had never met his father before and it was a rather emotional moment.

"Yes. When hell opened and all the shit popped out we decided to follow them. We thought you could need some help." Bardock nodded.

"And we got a lot better, even in hell." Raditz laughed.

"You look a lot like me when I'm Super Saiyajin 3, you know that, Raditz?"

"Yup, Turles already told me that in this form I win the look-alike contest." Raditz chuckled, still carrying Goten on his arm as he approached his brother. "See, when we came to Otherworld...we realized that we had been wrong."

"Realized? We got our asses handed to us by the old man! Bardock was fucking furious about the stunts the two of us pulled." Turles told Raditz.

"You two are idiots with shit for brains. Really, great sons. One is a fruit addicted pirate and one is Frieza's low class dog." Bardock grunted.

"See, that is what we got for a welcome." Turles nodded to Goku. Goku couldn't hold back. He burst into laughter. Turles and Raditz both had been fearsome enemies when he fought them, and now, seeing both his brothers being told off like that by their father was just too much for him.

"I think we should hurry now. Grandson, give your father the Dragon Ball so he can close the gap in hell." Bardock smiled at Goten. Goten held out his hand to Goku who took the orange sphere from it.

"What do I do now? How do I close the gap?"

"You just did, bro. You only need to have the ball in your hand without anybody trying to get it from you. If you can say 'This is mine' the hole closes." Raditz looked at Goku with a strange expression on his face. "So, what do we do now?"

"We will go back to Dende's Lookout. I want you to meet the others. Just hold on to me for a moment."

"Holy shit, Goku, you scared me! Do you always have to...WAH!" Kuririn jumped back as he saw the other Saiyajin, now all again in their normal form, next to his best friend. "Wha...wha...what are they doing here? They are evil!"

"They are my family, Kuririn." Goku began to explain, when Bardock suddenly moved from his side.

"Excuse me, there is something important I have to do." With those words he nodded to his sons and started to walk. Raditz put Goten down to the ground and followed his father, along with Turles. None of them said another word.

Everybody watched the three Saiyajin as they made their way over to the place Vegeta was leaning up against a tree in the courtyard. Kuririn held his breath, expecting the worst. Goku felt his energy rising as his tail swished from side to side.

Bardock stopped right in front of Vegeta, who looked at him with narrowed eyes and tensed muscles, outwardly appearing cold and relaxed, but inwardly ready to defend himself. Bardock looked at Vegeta for a second, then he first lowered his gaze, before he dropped down to one knee. And so did Raditz and Turles.

"My prince, I came to you to swear my allegiance to the Prince of All Saiyajin."

All but Vegeta stared at the scene, Yamcha's mouth hanging open. They had expected an argument or a fight, but not that. So Vegeta really was a prince, after all.

Vegeta's eyes met those of Goku for a split second before he moved. He stood right in front of his subjects, looking all dignified, and, in Goku's eyes, really royal as he spoke.

"I allow you to get up, warrior. I'm glad you made that decision. I welcome it."

"Does that mean they will fight alongside us now?" Kuririn whispered to Goku.

"No, it means they will fight when HE orders them to. So you better start treating him well, if you want them to help us out." Goku whispered back, and Kuririn thought he heard a slight hiss in Goku's voice.

"You three should get some rest. After what I've heard you had a hard fight today. I want you to be refreshed when I need you." Vegeta turned away from the group and walked inside. A few minutes later Goku followed him unnoticed.

"You happy?"

Vegeta turned around when he heard Goku's voice. He was still smilling, not even trying to hide it.

"Yes. I'm glad we aren't the only saiyan warriors anymore."

"I thought so. And I have the feeling we can trust them." Goku smiled back at Vegeta. It was nice to see his prince happy and relaxed for once.

"You and your naive feelings" said Vegeta in a mocking voice. He was standing rather close to Goku now, he could feel the energy reeling off the other man. Goku's tail slightly touched his own next to them, coiling around it.

"Goku, Goku come quickly! Gohan and Piccolo are back and you won't believe who is with them!" Kuririn burst through the door. Goku and Vegeta looked at him, Goku with a confused expression on his face, Vegeta with a growl. Hidden by their bodies their tails uncoiled.

"Alright, let's go and have a look."

4


	5. Of Wires and Madness

**Chapter 5 – Of Wires and Madness**

"It's been quite a while since I have been in this place." Piccolo stood at the ledge of one of the many cliffs in the Yanzabit Heights, looking down to the ground, the wind pulling hard on his cape. Gohan was sitting a few feet away, trying to figure out what the dragon radar was trying to tell him.

"Grr, this thing is messed up. I can't pinpoint the right location of the dragon ball. I think something is disturbing the energy fields." He looked up at his mentor. "This is the place where your spaceship was, right? I remember that Mr. Popo brought us here to get us to Namek."

"Hm. You are right. You always had excellent memory. Show me the radar."

Gohan stood up and handed the radar to the Namekian. Piccolo looked at it and frowned. "It shows eight different locations at once? That is impossible, there are only seven dragon balls and we already have one."

"Yeah, I told you it is messed up. It started showing the eight locations right after we entered the area."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes. He looked at Gohan for a moment, watching as the young man shivered from the cold winds. Then looked at the radar again and frowned even more. "I know which one is the right one."

"How can tell? Do you feel something? A special energy?" Gohan looked ecstatic.

"No, but only one of them is moving. Follow me."

"Ow, this can't be true. How can you come back from the dead if you weren't even alive in the first place?" Gohan groaned. The two Z-Fighters were peering over a cliff down into a canyon.

"If hell opens up anything seems to be possible, even androids coming back. And look, there is Gero himself, right among them." Piccolo pointed down.

Dr. Gero was standing between his creations, the androids 13, 14, 15 and 19. And in his hand was a shiny orange ball with six gleaming stars.

"Dammit, he's got the Dragon Ball."

"Right, that means we have to fight them to get it back." Piccolo stood up and Gohan followed his example.

"You can come down already, I know you are there." Dr. Gero shot a glance up the cliff and grinned. Piccolo and Gohan slowly levitated downwards, touching the ground a few feet away from the group.

"Let me guess, you came here for this." Gero held up the 6-Star Dragon Ball. "If you want it, you will have to fight my androids for it. It will get them prepared for their ultimate task, if they get to kill you first."

"Shut up already, you are boring me. Do you really think your scrap metal scares me?" Piccolo's voice sounded as sure as it ever did, making Gohan feel a lot more comfortable. The young man was always a bit nervous when he was facing battle, too many times he had seen his comrades fall.

"If you are so impatient, then I guess we should just begin! 14, 15, get them and destroy them!" Gero pointed a finger at the two Z-Fighters and the androids started to move in.

Piccolo and Gohan didn't have to fight the two androids for long, since they seemed to be no match for the two excellent warriors. But Piccolo wasn't really at ease. The look on Dr. Gero's face when he used the Bakurikimaha to blast Android 15 to smithereens made Piccolo frown. Why was the old geezer so relaxed? He had just destroyed one of his androids, so why was he not more concerned?

"Masenko!" Gohan shot a blast at Android 14, knocking the huge warrior into a wall, crushing him. The Android didn't move anymore, he seemed broken beyond repair.

"We crushed your androids, you are just no match for us, Gero. Hand over the Dragon Ball, now!" Gohan landed in front of the elderly man and held out his hand.

"Oh, you think you have won already? 13, show them what you can do!"

Android 13 smiled wickedly at Gohan, reached back and kicked the young man in the stomach. Gohan felt the air getting knocked out of his lungs as he hit a boulder. White stars erupted in front of his eyes. More pain was added when 13 shot a huge Ki blast at him. The Android flung himself at Gohan again, blows raining down on his body.

Piccolo tried to interfere but Android 19 stopped him. The fat man grabbed the Namekian and threw him into a pile of rocks.

Piccolo saw that this time they were at a disadvantage. Gero has let them play with the first two androids to get them tired before the main fight was even beginning! And they had fallen for that! He pulled himself free of the rocks and looked over to Gohan. The powerful android was still pounding him into a pulp and Gohan didn't seem to be able to defend himself.

Android 13 let go of Gohan, who slumped to the ground. Piccolo saw in horror that the android readied himself to deliver a fatal blow to his opponent. He gathered all his strength and launched himself forward. He grabbed the unconcious body of his student and pulled him into what seemed to be a fissure in the rock formation behind them. The blast hit the cliff and with a deathening crash half of the mountain came down.

"Ugh..."

Piccolo moved over to the place in the cave where he had put Gohan down and knelt down next to him. "Are you awake?"

"Hmmnnfff"

That was not really an answer, but it had to do for now. The cave was pitch black, but Piccolo's eyes could see well in the dark. Gohan had opened his eyes and tried to sit up. Then he groaned again.

"How are you?"

"I'll pull through...I'm just cold." Gohan sat up properly this time. His rips were screaming at him and his head felt like spinning. The darkness around him didn't help much, he could not see a single thing.

"Good. I was worried." Piccolo took off his cape and wrapped it around his student.

"Where are we?"

"In a cave. The exit is blocked. And I can't blow it open 'cause the whole cave might collapse on us. We will have to wait until the others come and find us." Piccolo wasn't particularly happy about this, but he had reached the decision that this was out of his hands for now.

"Great. Brrr..." Gohan pulled the cape around him, but he could not stop shivering. He gave a startled cry when a warm hand touched his shoulder.

"It's only me, you idiot. Lay back, I want to check your body for injuries." Piccolo gently pushed Gohan back down and the young man tried to relax. Piccolo's warm long fingers slipped below the cape and carefully pulled up Gohan's shirt.

Gohan closed his eyes. They were useless anyway. The gentle touch of the fingers made him shiver. Damned. This wasn't true. He turned his face away from Piccolo, blushing. The shivering hadn't come from the cold. In fact, he didn't feel cold anymore at all. He felt rather hot. The skilled hands of the Namekian made his skin burn. Suddenly a smile came to his lips. In the darkness Piccolo couldn't see him. So he would be rather save, even if he just allowed himself to enjoy the touches.

Piccolo ran his hands over Gohan's muscled chest and down to his sides. He felt the young Demi-Saiyajin shiver and a smile came to his lips. He let his hands wander over the flat belly and skillfully loosened the sash around Gohan's waist.

"Pic...Piccolo..." Gohan's voice was hoarse and thick.

"Just relax, Gohan, I need to check something."

Gohan gasped as the warm hand of Piccolo touched his hardening member. He tried to sit up again, but Piccolo pushed him back down.

"Wha...what are you doing?"

"Gohan, you can't be that naive. What does it feel like?" Piccolo sounded a bit unnerved so Gohan decided to shut up. Piccolo bent down and placed a soft kiss on Gohan's slightly parted lips. Gohan moaned slightly as Piccolo's hand started to move faster, gripping tighter.

Gohan leaned into the kiss, his head spinning again. He hadn't even dared to dream about this, even though he had always wanted to come closer to his mentor, ever since the first time there had been a full moon after he had hit puberty.

Piccolo slipped under the cape and pressed his warm body to Gohan's. Gohan felt both of Piccolo's hands slip down his pants, one in the front, one in the back. He knew he was facing the Namekian, but in the pitch black darkness he couldn't even make out his silhouette. Gohan let his fingers run over Piccolo's chest, surprised how smooth the warrior's skin was.

Gohan moaned softly when Piccolo's fingers started to play with his manhood again. The Namekian rolled his thumb over the wet tip while his fingers massaged the hot shaft.

Piccolo grinned wickedly as his fingers curled around the base of Gohan's furry tail. Slowly he traced his nails through the soft hair, enjoying the sound of Gohan's moans.

Outside the cave, something moved.

Stars erupted behind Gohan's closed eyes. His body started to tremble as he reached his climax in Piccolo's skilled hands. He tried to catch his breath, all the pain in his body was forgotten.

"Are you feeling warmer now?" When Piccolo spoke, Gohan noticed for the first time how silent the cave was. No sounds came in from the outside. It was as silent as it was dark.

Gohan nearly jumped when a loud crash resounded through the cave. Piccolo was at his feet in a split-second, ready to defend both of them. Light flooded the dark cavern. Gohan shielded his eyes with his hand.

Both Z-Fighters left the cave. When they saw the man standing in front of them Gohan nearly froze up and Piccolo jumped right back into his fighting stance. Gohan's eyes travelled from the tall, muscular black-haired man to a heap of arms, legs and wires nearby. The remains of the androids. Of all of them.

The tall man smiled at the two Z-Fighters and held out his hand. In his palm rested the shining 6-Star Dragon Ball. "I guess you would like to have this back, wouldn't you?" The man's tail swished lazily back and forth. Gohan was surprised how soft and gentle the voice was. He had only ever heard the man scream or grunt.

"Yes, we need that back...would...would you give it to us...?" Gohan tried. He felt very stupid. Of course he would not give it to them. Why should he?

"No, I'm sorry. I can't give it to you. I have to give it to somebody else."

"Damned, Broly, what fucked up game are you playing now? Give the Dragon Ball to us, we need to bring it to Goku so he can close up hell again." Piccolo was almost ready to deal out the first blow.

"Well, then we have the same goal. But I will get this to Kakarot. You might just lose it again. Bardock was very specific. I am not to hand it over to anybody but his son."

Gohan stared at Broly with huge, almost bulging eyes. Had he just said he wanted to give the Dragon Ball to Goku? And did he just say BARDOCK had told him to? Bardock was his grandfather, so he was told, but Bardock was dead!

"Stop looking so surprised. Do you think only those idiots found their way out of Otherworld? And now take me to Kakarot."

Goku and Vegeta came out into the courtyard and stopped dead in their tracks. Vegeta growled when he saw Broly and Goku moved ever so slightly in front of his prince.

"What the fuck do you want, Broly?" Goku's golden tail swished behind him in a very annoyed matter, every muscles of his body was tense.

"I came to give you this, Kakarot." Broly held out the Dragon Ball to Goku. The other Saiyajin stared at it.

"It's alright, son, take it. This is not the Broly you guys once knew." Bardock stepped besides Goku and nodded to him. Goku reached out and took the shining orange globe.

"So, Bardock, care to enlighten us to why the homicidal maniac is now a calm purring kitten?" Vegeta looked at Bardock with a frown upon his face.

"We'll tell you that story, but we better get inside, I hear a lot of Saiyajin stomachs rumbling." With that Bardock turned and walked back inside, Broly following him. Goku turned and looked at Vegeta, who only shrugged.

Goku, Vegeta, Turles, Raditz, Bardock, Gohan, Piccolo, Dende and Bulma sat down on some soft cushions on the ground. Mr. Popo had brought in great bowls of fruit and the Saiyajin all had started to eat like ravenous monsters. While they had been eating, Goku had explained to Gohan and Piccolo how and why the other three Saiyajin were there. Now they were contend enough to hear the story of how Broly had turned into a normal speaking humanoid.

"Well, after our encounters, I came to Otherworld. I was rather confused and lost, for I finally had been freed of the control of the spells that my dear father had put upon me so long ago." Broly's voice was calm, only when he mentioned his father he nearly spat out the words.

"I found him soon after he arrived. You know, his aura is hard to miss." Bardock grinned and the others nodded in agreement.

Gohan stole a glance over to Piccolo. The Namekian was leaning against a wall, listening. Gohan wondered if he was feeling as strange as Gohan himself did. He wanted to talk to his mentor, but he was afraid. Afraid Piccolo might just say he did that to warm up Gohan or to distract him.

"Your father gave me an ass kicking I might never forget." Broly continued.

"Yeah, he claims that to this day his ass has never felt like it used to before." Raditz added, laughing. Goku snickered. He had never felt so comfortable around other Saiyajin as he did now. His two brothers seemed to be rather cool to have around when they stopped acting like complete assholes, Broly was not even looking like the maniac he was before anymore and Bardock...Bardock was just cool. Goku could hardly believe that man was really his father.

"After that ass kicking I got some sense into Broly. His father had used him for his sinister plans all his life, I decided not to let it ruin his afterlife as well. We helped him to gain more control over himself."

"And I vowed to help the guys whenever they needed me. So I am my own master now. Kakarot, I'm sorry for all the shit. My Prince, I hope you can forgive me as well." Broly looked so sad and earnest as he spoke those words that Goku felt really sorry for him. Apologizing to Vegeta was a hard thing to do and he was sure his prince would first take Broly down a peck or two before forgiving him. But Vegeta just looked at him and nodded his head most gracefully. "I accept your apology."

"Me too, Broly. I understand that it was not your fault. Your father made you do those things by trying to control you. Do you still go insane when you ascend?" Goku enquired, brushing a strand of blonde hair from his eyes.

"No, I can control myself, for a while. But I can't do it too often or for too long or I lose control."

"Too bad, so we can't just send you out to get the rest of the Dragon Balls." Piccolo had his eyes fixed on Broly.

"No, I used up a lot of willpower when I got you that one. I need to rest my mind."

"I guess we all could do with some sleep. Kuririn and Chiaotzu have just left, Yamcha and Ten Shin Han will continue their search tomorrow, they are staying overnight, and I guess Trunks and Jun won't come here until tomorrow either. The kids are already in bed." Goku looked at Dende. "Do you have enough rooms for all of us?"

"Really, Son Goku, I thought you had learned that by now. This place always has enough rooms. No matter how many people are here. Come, follow me everybody."

While they walked towards their sleeping quarters, Gohan hung back a little, trying to catch Piccolo's attention. The Namekian frowned and hung back as well, feeling that Gohan seemed to wish to talk to him in private.

"What is the matter, Gohan? Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes, I am alright...I...I just wanted...to look at the stars from here for a moment. They look so nice tonight...ah...well...good night, Sensei." Gohan hurried to follow the others, his face flushed bright red. Piccolo shook his head. Baka...

The moonlight shone into the window, illuminating the lithe figure between the sheets. The air was still and silence lay like an invisible sheet across the Lookout.

Suddenly Vegeta sat up. His sensitive hearing had picked up some sound. Like the rustling of leaves. He looked around in the room. As he turned his head away something moved in the shadows.

5


End file.
